Kentucky

LOS ANGELES — A lonely little robot made millions of friends during the weekend. And “WALL-E” also earned top spot at the box office with its $62.5 million in ticket sales.

The Pixar Animation tale of a robot toiling away on a long-abandoned Earth finished ahead of Angelina Jolie’s assassin thriller “Wanted.” Its second place take was $51.1 million.

Rounding out the top five: “Get Smart,” “Kung Fu Panda” and “The Incredible Hulk.”

The top 12 movies took in over $179 million, up 22 percent from the same weekend last year, when Pixar’s “Ratatouille” opened with $47 million.

Revenues climbed for the fifth-straight weekend.

Is Madonna planning a divorce from her husband, Guy Ritchie?

The Times of London reported Friday that the pop singer has met with the divorce lawyer who represented Paul McCartney in his divorce from Heather Mills.

The paper said that the lawyer, Fiona Shackleton, is known as the “Steel Magnolia” for her “tough, but pragmatic negotiation tactics.”

Shackleton also represented Prince Charles in his divorce from Lady Diana.

Madonna and Ritchie — who directed the crime comedies “Snatch” and “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” — married in 2000 and have one child together.

The Times estimated Madonna’s fortune at $600 million.

Madonna’s representatives did not return the paper’s request for comment. (Read the full post about ‘Report: Madonna Meets With Divorce Attorney’…)

LANCASTER, Ohio — Authorities have arrested a southeast Ohio man accused of stalking and threatening teen actress-singers Aly and AJ.

Lancaster police said 42-year-old Rex Mettler is charged with felony menacing by stalking.

Police said that he made violent threats against 19-year-old Alyson Michalka and her 17-year-old sister, Amanda Michalka.

Aly starred in the former Disney Channel series “Phil of the Future.” Both appeared in the Disney Channel’s 2006 movie “Cow Belles.”

No attorney is listed for Mettler. He is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Fairfield County Municipal Court.

A message left with a Disney spokeswoman wasn’t immediately returned Thursday.

Aly and AJ are scheduled to perform Friday night at National City Pavilion in Cincinnati. (Read the full post about ‘Man Accused Of Stalking Disney’s Aly, AJ’…)

The celebrity gossip site TMZ.com said it is being sued for $20 million by Verne “Mini-Me” Troyer from the “Austin Powers” movies, after the site allegedly aired portions of a sex tape featuring Troyer and a former live-in girlfriend.

Troyer filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claiming TMZ.com and TMZ TV show violated his privacy rights and infringed on his copyright and trademark by running portions of the tape, according to the site.

TMZ said that Troyer is also claiming that the site violated his right of privacy and misappropriated his name and likeness, and is seeking an injunction to stop further dissemination of the tape. (Read the full post about ‘‘Mini-Me’ Sues TMZ Over Sex Tape Clip’…)

‘WALL·E’ (G) (out of four)

If you can imagine that a), you can get caught up in a film that’s basically a love story between two machines, b), that you can get engrossed in a movie that for its first half hour contains no human dialogue, and c), believe that the world will be so covered in trash that humans will have to live in space, then get ready for “WALL·E.”

Part “E.T.,” part “2001: A Space Odyssey,” Pixar Animation Studios reaches the height of perfection in creating a lovable star out of a binocular-eyed robot named WALL·E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter-Earth Class). Consumable items have covered the landscape and made a Gotham City built on garbage-formed skyscrapers by WALL·E and others like him. (Read the full post about ‘Review: Out Of This World ‘Wall·E’ Amazes’…)

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A state medical board has suspended the license of Lexington gynecologist Hamid Sheikh.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reported an investigator with the attorney general’s office said she found expired medications and unsanitary conditions at Sheikh’s office, along with missing or faulty equipment.

Sheikh said Thursday he has retired and will not seek to have his license restored, but he said his office was sanitary. (Read the full post about ‘Doctor’s Medical License Suspended’…)

FRANKFORT, Ky. — A Senate committee has approved a plan to shore up the state’s financially troubled pension system.

The Senate State and Local Government Committee voted 7-0 to approve the proposal. It now goes to the Senate floor for consideration.

The Senate is scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. EDT on Friday to vote on the measure.

The Kentucky House approved the legislation 98-0 on Wednesday after lengthy private negotiations.

About 435,000 people are covered by the state retirement system which, lawmakers say, faces eventual financial collapse if left ignored. (Read the full post about ‘State Senate Committee Passes Pension Legislation’…)

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The University of Kentucky is investigating whether members of its Kappa Alpha Psi chapter took part in an alleged violent hazing incident at Eastern Kentucky University.

The Lexington Herald-Leader quoted UK spokesman Jay Blanton on Thursday, saying the university in Lexington has asked EKU officials and the fraternity’s national chapter to help it determine whether any UK students were involved.

EKU has suspended the fraternity for eight years after one of its student pledges, Brent Whiteside, was hospitalized in March. (Read the full post about ‘UK Investigating After EKU Suspends Fraternity’…)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A General Electric spokeswoman described the response as overwhelming as about 2,500 people picked up applications Wednesday for about 200 jobs in Louisville.

The company will continue taking applications through Thursday for the positions at Appliance Park.

The new hires will replace GE workers who are retiring. (Read the full post about ‘GE Gets Huge Response To Jobs Offer’…)

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. — A Hardin County man charged with the shooting deaths of a teenager and her unborn child pleaded guilty Wednesday.

Through a deal with prosecutors, Andrew Edelen will spend 15 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and fetal homicide in connection with the death of Alena Cunningham.

Police said Edelen shot and killed 18-year-old Cunningham after they got into an argument in the parking lot of a Radcliff apartment complex in May 2007.

Edelen will be formally sentenced in July.